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Alcohol consumption higher than reported in England

27 February 2013

Alcohol consumption could be much higher than previously thought,
with more than three quarters of people in England drinking in excess of the
recommended daily alcohol limit, according to a new paper in the European Journal of Public Health.

The
study, conducted by researchers in the UCL Department of Epidemiology and
Public Health, is the first to investigate the potential public health
implications related to the under-reporting of alcohol consumption.

International studies have shown that self-reported alcohol
consumption only accounts for between 40 and 60 per cent of alcohol sales. The
UCL team investigated this discrepancy to reveal the potential impact of this
‘missing’ alcohol on public health.

Sadie Boniface, lead author of the study at UCL, says: “Currently
we don’t know who consumes almost half of all the alcohol sold in England. This
study was conducted to show what alcohol consumption would look like when all
of what is sold is accounted for, if everyone under-reported equally.

“The results are putative, but they show that this gap between
what is seen in the surveys and sales potentially has enormous implications for
public health in England.”

The Royal College of Physicians recommend weekly alcohol limits of
21 units for men and 14 units for women, while the UK Chief Medical Officers
have recommended not to regularly exceed four units per day for men, and three
units a day for women.

This study shows what alcohol consumption would look like when all of what is sold is accounted for, if everyone under-reported equally... The results are putative, but they show that this gap between what is seen in the surveys and sales potentially has enormous implications for public health in England.

Sadie Boniface, UCL Epidemiology & Public Health

After correcting the data for the under-reporting of alcohol
consumption the UCL team found that the prevalence of drinking more than the
weekly guidelines increases by 15 percentage points in men and 11 points in women,
such that 44 per cent of men and 31 per cent of women exceed the guidelines.

Similarly, the prevalence of drinking above the daily limit
increases by 19 percentage points in men (to 75 per cent) and 26 points in women (to
80 per cent).

In addition, the study also shows that when under-reporting is
taken in to account, approximately half of men and women could be classed as
‘binge drinkers’ (defined by the Department of Health as consuming more than
eight units of alcohol in a single session for men, and more than six units for
women). In particular, the proportion binge drinking increases the most among
women, those on high incomes, and those living in the south of England.

The team used data from the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF) 2008 to
analyse self-reported average weekly alcohol consumption levels in 12,490
adults. The GLF was an annual longitudinal survey designed to be representative
of the adult population in Great Britain.

The team used data from the Health Survey for England (HSE) 2008
to analyse self-reported alcohol consumption on the heaviest drinking day in
the last week among 9,608 adults. The HSE is an annual survey designed to be
representative of the adult population in England.

“What’s needed now is a detailed understanding of whether some
people under-report their consumption more than others: to what extent does
this vary between men and women for example, by how much someone drinks, or by
what types of drink they prefer,” says Ms Boniface.

“Little is known on this at present, but this could reveal groups
who under-estimate their alcohol consumption substantially, illuminating areas
where targeted alcohol education initiatives should be developed.”